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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. game — a match
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cue — a hint
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pop — to visit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cue — for pool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. clip — to cut
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com